Fish sometimes bite popping corks; this one is ready for them

MX Plugs in Stem, NC makes them out of wood

BRIAN COPE January 19, 2016 at 12:58am

If you’ve spent much time fishing with a popping cork, it’s happened to you. You’re fishing along, popping your wrist to make that popping cork create just the right sound, pausing in between, letting the lure under your popping cork settle before popping it again. And then, your popping cork gets crushed by a gator trout.

You curse that you aren’t using a topwater lure, then dream up a concoction in your head whereby you remove the rear hook from a Rebel Pop-R, and use that lure as your cork, a treble hook hanging from its belly for the next occasion something goes after your cork instead of the lure underneath it.

Fact is, fishing with a Pop-R or other surface lure in place of your popping cork isn’t a bad idea at all, and many anglers try it at times. But, there’s a better way. A company in Stem, N.C. called MX Plugs has the answer, and you don’t even have to remove anything from it like you would with a Pop-R or similar plug.

MX Plugs makes wooden fishing lures and popping corks. One version of their popping corks has a treble hook in the belly of the lure. The lure also features large eyes, noise-making beads, blades, and a high-quality swivel. It has a cupped face that spits water and makes a gulping sound when it is popped.

Because the popping cork is made of wood instead of foam, as most popping corks are made of, it should last much longer, and with the treble hook in place, you’re ready for that time when fish would rather eat on top than take your bait that’s underneath the cork.